Here to Help
by MoonlightGardenias
Summary: Addison came back to Seattle to help him. She didn't think that in the end it would be the other way around.


**Author's Note: **To be honest I'm not really sure where this came from other than the fact that I've been missing seeing these two characters together. Also, while I don't actually discuss the Sam/Addison aspect of things it's possible that my timeline for them is a little off. But basically this is set just after Callie and Arizona's accident. It's something I would've liked to have seen, but Shonda decided to do the whole musical thing and well...I'm assuming most of you know how that went.

Anyway, I hope that you enjoy and leave a review!

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Grey's Anatomy or any characters mentioned or featured here. If I did Addison and Sam would never have happened and these two would have had a real shot, but that's an argument for another day.

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><p>If there was one thing she hated, it had been the rain.<p>

There was a way it got into you, seeping through every pore until you were nothing more than a shivering mess of bones and clothes shuffling through the crowd like everyone else.

Considering the fact it rained there at least ninety percent of the time Addison should have been surprised to find herself rolling onto familiar streets, reading signs she'd seen before. And yet she wasn't. With everything that had happened in the past few weeks, it made perfect sense for her to leave Los Angeles and seek comfort somewhere else.

She just never thought that place would be Seattle.

Until the phone call came. Something with Callie's baby, and though she had proper treatment she wanted more than anything else to be there for her. And Mark, Addison reminded herself, despite the anxiety bubbling up inside.

Hearing they were having a baby together (but not _together_) hadn't been the easiest news to take but he was Mark. No matter what happened his feelings would inexplicably be tied to hers.

It didn't stop memories of a child that never got the chance to happen from flowing forth, though. She couldn't count the number of times thoughts of what he or she would look like, act like or simply be like haunted her. It would have had blue eyes though, or at least she hoped, but everything else had remained up in the air.

She wondered what he would say, or if any reference would even be made, because while he knew and she knew and Callie knew they had all tried their best to sweep it under the rug, acting as if it never happened.

And now they were having a baby. A real, live, tiny human. Arizona would be involved too of course but the knowledge that the new life existed was a reminder of everything she had lost, along with how much she was missing while away.

"How is she?" Addison asked upon seeing Mark inside the hospital.

The look in his eyes could not have been more grateful. "Addie." He said before wrapping her in a tight hug. "Thanks for coming."

For a moment she stood still in his arms, oblivious to the way it might have looked to anyone else passing by. "Of course I came."

When he finally pulled back he held her at arm's length, eyes scanning her as if to assure himself that she was fine. "Safe trip?"

Addison shrugged, shelving the thoughts she had on the way to the hospital to dissect at a later date. "You could say that. How's Callie?"

"Her doctor examined her and promises me that she'll be okay. Arizona's in with her now so I didn't want to interrupt but-"

Addison put a hand on his shoulder, stilling his fidgeting motions. "What did her doctor say about the baby?"

Mark stuffed a hand in his pocket and drew a deep breath. Regardless of what he said or didn't he knew she could tell. "It's too early to know for sure. According to the doc they're both in the woods still but expected to make a recovery."

"That's good, right?" she asked, hoping the smile she wore was enough to convince him that she believed it.

"I don't know. I know it would be asking a lot and I don't want to overstep any boundaries, but could you-"

"Of course. I'll see what I can do." Addison replied. Though if she could do anything that Callie's doctor hadn't done already was debatable, there was no way she wouldn't at least try.

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><p>Running into other familiar faces was inevitable but she hadn't counted on it happening so soon. After leaving Mark near Callie's room she turned the corner with every intention of looking for the Chief until she ran directly into Derek.<p>

"Addison?" he asked, voice laced with curiosity until the thought occurred to him. "Torres isn't that bad, is she?"

"What? Oh, no. Well, it's possible but…you know what? I have a job to do."

Derek frowned, clutching his coffee cup even tighter. "Addison, if you know something-"

"What I know is that Callie Torres just gave birth to Mark's baby. What I know is that, despite whatever screwed up situation lead everyone to this point there is a child that I have to save whose mother happens to be one of my close friends." Addison paused, taking a deep breath to mentally prepare herself for what came next. "If something happens…if I can't save that baby, I don't know that Mark will be able to walk away from this."

Derek nodded silently. His hand fell on her shoulder, squeezing it tightly. "If there's anyone who can save her, I know it'll be you."

She turned to thank him but by the time she did he was already gone.

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><p>She could feel the eyes on her, some of which she knew and others she didn't. The orders she barked at nurses and other surgeons were ones she'd done hundreds of times before. They weren't supposed to mean anything more this time.<p>

Except they did.

She knew just as much as every person dressed in blue scrubs around the operation table that this surgery meant just a little bit more than some of the others. The woman laying open and bleeding on the table was one of their own. The little baby fighting for air and fighting for life came from her and she knew she had to do everything within her power to save its tiny life.

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><p>It was later that night after operating that Addison decided to tuck herself into a darkened corner at Joe's. She wasn't drinking alcohol but there was something comforting about being in a room full of people and yet still alone.<p>

Callie was recovering successfully and while the baby had a long road ahead she would be fine as well.

Addison was lost in thought when a shadow cast itself on her table and a familiar form took residence opposite her in the booth.

"Drinking the hard stuff there, huh?" Mark asked, somewhat amused, as he pointed to her glass of coke.

"It's not diet. I'm living dangerously tonight." Addison quipped. She sighed as she stirred her straw around in her drink, causing the ice to clink against the side of the glass. "What brings you here? I figured you'd be celebrating over at the hospital."

"I was. For a while, anyway. My daughter will be fine and that's what matters. But Arizona kind of took everything over, so…" Mark looked up to see a grin on her face. "What?"

"Nothing. I just think you're taking this whole thing surprisingly well. I'm proud of you, Mark."

He looked a little taken back, almost like for once he wasn't quite sure what to do or say. Watching Addison as her eyes scanned the bar, perhaps hoping she would see no familiar faces, he knew however there was something he needed to tell her. "Thank you."

She started to open her mouth and ask him what for but closed it, knowing why. "I just did my job."

"Yeah, but it's gotta get tiring. You left this city for a reason and coming back here every few months because we need you probably doesn't make the separation any easier." Mark replied. He leaned against the table, shifting in his seat before stealing one of her fries.

The way he lumped himself in with the people that needed her made Addison stop for just a second. It was true, that she'd come back several times since leaving for Los Angeles, but it wasn't like she'd done so against her will. This thought was what propelled her to think that maybe they needed her almost as much as she needed them, and that maybe that fact was what kept her coming back.

"You okay there, Addy? It was like you were someplace else for a second." Mark asked, waving a hand in front of her face.

"I'm fine," Addison replied, even if inside she knew it was partly a lie. She'd be staying in Seattle a day more in the event there was an emergency with the baby but after that she would fly back to Los Angeles and what scared her is that she didn't know what would be waiting for her there. She and Sam were over, whether either of them had caved to that fact or not. As much as she hated admitting it there was actually more for her in Seattle than back at home.

"No, you're not," Mark replied. He watched as her eyes glimmered with fresh tears. Hesitantly, he brushed his calloused fingers over hers before picking up her hand. "Addison, if something's bothering you, you know you can talk to me, right?"

The feel of his touch made her jump a little. She hated how despite the amount of time that had passed he still made her feel something. "I'm tired."

There was something laced through her voice that made him want to reach out more than he already had but he hesitated, the skin on skin contact suddenly causing him to feel as if he'd been burned. This was the woman who had once been married to his best friend and yet still managed to steal his heart and never give it back. Saying he had to tread carefully went without saying. Still…

"What are you doing?" Addison asked, puzzled as she watched him stand up. He reached his hand out in her direction only for her to shake her head. "I'm fine. Please, just sit."

"You're exhausted, Addison. Let me take you home." Mark replied, leaving no room for an argument.

She glared at him before picking up her coat and heading for the door with him. She'd been too busy messing with buttons to notice how he'd quietly slipped Joe money that would more than cover the bill. "You do realize that for me home means Los Angeles, right?"

"Right. As if I could forget that. Let me take you to your hotel then." Mark mused as they walked to his car. He fished his phone from his pocket and waved it in her direction. "I need to-"

"I know. Don't worry, I understand."

From the corner of his eye Mark watched as Addison looked through her purse, feigning ignorance to the conversation he was having. After making sure the baby was fine and that he would be called the second that changed he walked back to where Addison was standing, shuffling his feet as he waited in the hopes that she might start talking.

"You're not fine, are you, Addison?" Mark asked, hooking a finger under her chin to lift her face to his. "Talk to me."

She never thought she'd say it, but in that moment Addison would have preferred the flirty side of Mark Sloan; the one that didn't ask questions and force her to talk about things like feelings. "No. I'm not fine. But that should be the least of your concerns. Look Mark, you insisted on driving me so let's-"

Mark grabbed her arm as she turned to grab the handle of the car door. His tongue darted out to moisten chapped lips. In the background he could hear a couple laughing as they climbed in their car driving away. Sirens blared as an ambulance carried victims to the hospital. He knew people were busy getting on with their lives but all of that blurred together the second he felt her lean into him.

It started out innocently enough, as if anything between them could ever be such a thing, but it quickly escalated. Addison's hands gripped the lapels of his jacket tightly, pulling him in closer. She wasn't sure who started the kiss but in that moment she knew she didn't want to let go.

His stubble grated against her skin but she didn't care because for the first time in a long time she felt _something_.

When they finally broke apart he planted tiny, brief kisses against her neck before pulling back, brushing a thumb against her cheek. There was no apology because there was nothing he felt sorry for. Even if they needed to talk—which they did, he was smart enough to realize—that was not what she needed at the moment. "Come on, Addison. Let me take you home."


End file.
